Cutting and wrapping machine



April 15, 1930. E. c. HEGG 1,755,061

CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINE Original Filed-1 May 10. 192'? eSheets-Sheet 1 April 15, 1930. E. c. HEGG CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINEOriginal Filed May 10, 1927 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 15, 1930, E, c, HEGG1,755,061

CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINE Original Filed May 10, 1927 6 sheets-Sheet5 l Tufenfo;

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April 15, 1930. E. c. HEGG CUTTING AND WRAPPING mcrum:

s She ets Sheet 4 Original Filed May 10, 1927 m mm N 3 April 1930. E. c.HEGG CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINE Original Filed May 10. 1927 6Sheets-Sheet QM \N N Q. m

April 15, 1930. E c. HEGG 4 1,755,061

CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINE Original Filed May 10. 1927 6 Sheets-Sheet-6 ml PPFIHHIUIWII l T mm ZZZ/mfg 24$ 1% f Patented Apr. 15, 1930 HTEPATENT OFFICE EDW'ARD G. I'IEGG, O '.F BUFFALO, NEYV YORK, ASBIGNOB TOMOJONNIER BROS. 00., A

. COBIPORATEON OF ILLINOIS CUTTING AND WRAPPING MACHINE Originalapplication filed 19f? Serial This invention relates to a machine forcutting a slab or block of material into sections or slices and wrappingthe same in paper suitable for sale to the retail trade, and althoughthis machine is primarily designed for cutting ice-cream slabs or blocksin this manner and wrapping them preparatory to turning the same over tocustomers, it obviously can be used for slicing and wrapping othermaterials preparatory to dispensing the same.

It is the object of this invention to provide a machine capable ofperforming these functions which is compact in construction, efiicientand economical in operation and capable of handling a comparativelylarge amount of material conveniently, and expeditiously.

The present application is a division of my prior application Serial No.190,359, filed May 10, 1927. The material cutting and feeding featuresare claimed more particularly herein.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cuttingand wrapping machine embodying my invention with parts of the enclosurebroken away so as to show the internal mechanism.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same with parts broken away to showthe internal mech anism.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same, on an enlarged scale, showingparts broken away and in section for exposing the internal mechanism.

Figure l is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3 but showing moreparticularly the mechanism for wrapping a sheet around the sections ofmaterial.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section, on an enlarged scale, takenon the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing more particularly the mechanismwhereby the block or slab of material is cut into sections or slices.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a cake or slice of material which hasbeen Wrapped in the machine formin the subject of this invention.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section, on anenlarged scale, of

May 10, 1927, Serial No. 190,359. Divided and this application filedFebruary 23,

the means whereby the mechanism which feces the block of material to becut and wrapped, may be adjusted to cut sections or slices of differentthicknesses.

Figure 8 is a similar view of the follower and adjacent parts of themechanism which feeds the block of material.

Figure 9 is a vertical cross section taken on line 99 Fig. 8. j

Figures 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14: are diagrammatic views illustratingdifferent positions of parts of the mechanism whereby a sheet of paperor similar material is wrapped around a section or slice of material.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary front elevation of the plunger and adjacentparts of the mechanism whereby a sheet of paper is wrapped around asection of the material.

Figure 16 is a fragmentary longitudinal section taken on line 16-16 Fig.15.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

The numeral represents the main frame of the machine which maybe of anysuitable construction to support the various working parts of themachine. On the upper part of this frame and at the rear end thereof thesame is provided with a horizontal table 31 upon which is adapted to besupported a block or slab of material 32 such as a block of icecream,preparatory to cutting the same up into sections and wrapping thesections successfully in sheets of paper. The forward movement of thisblock of material is effected step by step through the medium of a feedmechanism and means are provided whereby the length of these steps maybe varied in order to vary the thickness of the sections or slices 29 inaccordance with the demands of the trade or other conditions. This blockfeeding and adjusting mechanism is constructed as follows: a

The numeral 33 represents a follower which is arranged transverselyabove the feed table 31 and moved forwardly lengthwise thereof inengagement with the rear end of the block of material for advancing thelatter toward the cutting mechanism and also capable of being retractedinto the rearmost position for engaging with a new block when thecutting of the preceding block has been completed or nearly completed.

This follower 33 is provided with a rearwardly projecting arm 34 whichis connected by means of a horizontal longitudinal pin 35 with a carrier36 sliding horizontally and lengthwise upon a guide bar 37 which ismounted on the main frame adjacent to the rear side of the feed table31, as best shown in Figs. 2, 8, and 9.

Below the guide bar 37 is arranged a longitudinally reciprocating feedbar 38 which is provided on different parts of its periphery withlongitudinal rows of ratchet teeth 39, any row of which may be engagedby a feed pawl 40 which is pivotally mounted on the underside of thecarriage 36 and adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with therespective row of teeth on the feed bar 38 by means of handle 41connected with the pawl. By means of this handle 41 the pawl 40 may belifted out of engagement from the respective teeth of the feed bar 38after which the carriage 36 together with the follower 33 may be movedlengthwise of the feed table into any desired position, and after suchadjustment the pawl 40 may be again lowered into engagement with therespective teeth of the feed bar 38 so that the movement of the latterwill be transmitted to said follower.

This feed bar 38 has a longitudinally reciprocating movement, thestrokes of which are of the same length, this movement being pref erablyderived from a main driving shaft 42 which is journaled horizontally andlengthwise in the lower part of the main frame and is rotated so that itmakes one turn for every complete cycle of operations of the machine.Although this driving shaft may be operated in any suitable manner andfrom any suitable source, it is preferable to drive the same from anelectric motor 43 which is mounted on the lower rear part of the mainframe.

Motion may be transmitted from this motor to the main driving shaft 42by the driving belt 44 passing around pullevs 45 and 43 which aresecured to the shaft 47 of the motor and a countershaft 48 arrangedtransversely below the main shaft 42, and a worm gearing consisting of aworm pinion 49 secured to the countershaft 48 and meshing with the wormwheel 50 on the main driving shaft, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Forthe purpose of starting and stopping the machine without interruptingthe motion of the motor, a clutch 51 is preferably employed which isinterposed between the main driving shaft 42 and the driven worm wheel50 and which is operated by means of a shifting lever 52, as shown infiiotion is transmitted from the driving shaft 42 to the feed bar 38 forreciprocating the latter lengthwise by means of an upright rock lever 53which is pivotally mounted on the main frame and actuated so that itsupper arm moves forwardly by means of a cam 54 secured to the drivingshaft 42 and engaging with the lower arm of this lever 53, while thereturn movement of this lever is erfccted by means of a spring 55connecting the upper arm thereof with an adjacent stationary part of themain frame, a coupling sleeve 56 secured to the rear end of the feed bar38 and provided with annular groove 57, a coupling collar 58 engagingwith the groove 5?, and a link 59 connecting the collar 58 with theupper arm of the rock lever 53. By this means a longitudinalreciprocatin movement having strokes of equal length is imparted to thefeed bar 38 by motion derived from the driving shaft 42. The point atwhich the forward movement of the feed bar terminates is always the samebut the point at which its rearward movement is arrested may be variedfor the purpose of adjusting the effective stroke of the feed bar andthe forward step of the follower 33, in accordance with the desiredthickness of the section or lice which is to be cut off from the frontor advancing end of the slab of material. For this purpose an adjustablestop device is provi dad which preferably is constructed as follows:

The numeral 60 represents an adjusting sleeve which is rotatably mountedon the main frame at the rear end of the feed table 31 but held againstlongitudinal movement by engaging agroove 61 formed by a reduced neck(F2 on the sleeve with an opening 63 in the adjacent part of the frame,as shown in Fig. 7. This adjusting sleeve and the rear end of the feedbar 38 are connected with each other in such manner that the same arecompelled to turn together, but the feed bar is capable of longitudinalmovement in the adjusting sleeve.

In its preferred form the connection is effected by making the rear endof the feed bar 38 square, as shown at 64, and engaging the same with acorrespondingly shaped bore 65 of this adjusting sleeve On its frontside this adjusting sleeve is provided with a plurality of steps 66which are arranged in an annular row about the axis of this sleeve andare made of different heights so that the distance from the front endsof these stops to the further extremity of the stroke of the feed barvaries accordingly. On the coupling collar 58 is arranged a stop arm 67which projects rearwardly therefrom and is ada )ted to engage with oneor another of the series of stops 66 on the adjusting sleeve 60,depending upon which of these stops is arranged in line with this stoparm. Upon turning the adjusting sleeve 60 so that the shortest or loweststop 66 is arranged in line with the stop arm 67, then the feed bar ispermitted to effect its longest backward stroke and consequently itslongest forward stroke so that a slice or section of maximum thicknesswill be cut off from the front or advancing end of the material inasmuchas the shortest stop 66 in this position will permit the feed bar tomove backwardly until the stop arm 67 engages with this shortest stop.If the adjust-- ing sleeveis turned so that the longest stop 66 isbrought in line with a stop arm 67, then the latter upon engaging withthe longest stop 66 will arrest the backward movement of the feed bar 38at a point which determines the shortest backward stroke andsubsequently effects the shortest forward throw whereby the block ofmaterial will be fed downward a distance equal to the shortest stop, anda slice or section of minimum thickness will becut off from the frontend of the block.

In like manner the adjustin sleeve may i be turned for bringing eitherof the intermediate stops in line with the stop arm 6? and thereby varythe feeding action upon the block of material and the thickness of theslice or section which is out therefrom accordingly. In order to holdthe adjusting sleeve in any of the various positions in which itpresents one or another of the stops 66 to the stop arm 67, a lockingpin 68 is provided which moves vertically in the adjacent part of theframe and may be engaged or disengaged with one or another of a seriesof openings 69 formed at different points in the circumference of theneck of the adjusting sleeve corresponding to the positions of theseveral stops 66 relative to the stop arm 67.

As the feed bar 38 is turned for the purpose of varying the stroke ofthe same the rows of teeth arranged on the periphery thereof are alsoshifted circumferentially in order to engage one or another of theserows of teeth with the feed pawl 40. In the preferred construction thelength of the teeth in these several rows varies in accordance with thelength of the stroke of the feed bar, corresponding to the particularback stop 66 which is engaged by the stop arm 67, the teeth which arearranged in operative relation to the pawl 40 being longest when theshortest stop 66 is presented to the stop arm 67, as shown in Fig.

gages with or .7 and at the top of Fig. 8, and proportionately shorterfeed teeth being employed in the remaining r ws on the feed bar as shownfor example on the lower side of the feed bar in Fig. 8.

As the block of material reaches the end of each step during its forwardmovement the front end of this block projects beyond the front end ofthe table 31 and either enis close to an upright front wall or stop 70which latter is separated from the front edge of the table 31 by anintervening space which forms a vertical well 71. After the block ofmaterial has been thus advanced so that its front end projects beyondthe front end of the feed table 31, this projecting part of the block isoperated upon by a cutter mechanism for severing a section or slice ofmaterial from the block. This cutter mechanism may be variouslyorganized but in its preferred form the same comprises two cutter blades72, 73 which are arranged vertically and are adapted to movetransversely toward and from each other across the path of the block ofmaterial so that in the closed position of these cutters the opposingupright edges of the same practically meet at the center of the path ofmate rial, while in the open position of the blades the same areretracted laterally from opposite sides of this path so as to notobstruct the same and permit of feeding the block forwardly.

As best shown in Fig. 5 the cutter 72 is mounted on the upper arm 74; ofan elbow lever which is pivoted on the main frame by a horizontallongitudinal pivot and the cutter 73 is secured to the upper arm 75 of athree-armed lever which is pivoted by a horirontal longitudinal pivot tothe main frame. These levers are caused to move in unison so that theircutter blades approach the center of the path of the block and move awayfrom the same at the same time by a link '76 connecting the inwardlyprojecting lower arm 77 of the lever supporting the left hand blade 72with an inwardly projecting central arm 7 8 of the lever supporting theright hand blade 73, and a rotary cam '29 secured to the driving shaft4:9, and engaging with the lower arm 80 of the lever supporting theright hand blade 73 as best shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5.

After a section or slice has been cut off from the front end of theblock, the same is shifted to the mechanism which operates to wrap asheet of paper around the same. This mechanism in the preferredconstruction comprises an elevator 81 which is normally "lowered in thewell 71 with its upper end substantially flush with the top of the feedtable 31 so that the block of ice-cream or other material when advanced,will project with its foremost portion over the upper side of theelevator 81, then the latter is raised so as to lift the foremost partof the block of material which has been severed in the form of. a sliceorcake from the remainderof the bloclr until this section is arrangedabove the body of the material and horizontally in line with the devicewhich operates to wrap a sheet of paper around this section. Thiselevator is raised and lowered in proper timing with the movements ofthe section cutter and block feeder and this is preferably accomplishedby mounting this elevator on the upper end of a lifting rod 82 which issuitably guided on the main frame and engages its lower end with alifting cam 83 which is mounted on the driving shaft 42 so as to berotated thereby.

In Fig. 10 this elevator is shown in its lowermost position which itoccupies while the block of material is being fed over the same, and inFig. 11 this elevator is represent ed in its highest position which itassumes when the section of material severed from the body of the samehas been elevated in proper position to be acted upon by the wrappingmechanism.

In the manufacture of ice-cream or similar material in the form ofblocks or slabs, the cross section of the same is usually of oblong formand of twice the area in which icecream or similar material is usuallysold in brick form. It is therefore proposed in the present machine toagain divide the sections which are removed from the block of materialinto two smaller cakes or slices of equal size. To accomplish thiswithout involving the use of any additional movable parts, a dividingplate 84 is provided which is arranged in an upright and longitudinalposition above the well 71 and mounted on the adjacent part of the mainframe so that when the section of material removed from the main blockis lifted, this section will be engaged with this dividing plate 84 andcut thereby into two cakes or slices of equal dimensions by the time thesection has been elevated into its highest position by the elevator.

In order to prevent the lower edge of this dividing blade from beinginjured or interfering with the operation of the elevator the centralpart of the latter is provided with a longitudinal notch or recess 85 asshown in Fig. 5, which receives the lower edge of the dividing blade 84and enables the latter to effect a clean cut or division between the twosmaller cakes or slices of material which have been elevated preparatoryto wrapping them in paper.

After a section of material has been thus elevated and divided into twosmaller cakes or slices, the same may be acted upon by automatic paperfeeding and wrapping mechanism which will feed paper from a roll, out itinto sheets, and wrap the sheets individually around the cakes or slicesof material so as to cover the upper and lower edges and the front andrear flat sides of each cake or slice, leaving the side edges exposed.However, it has been considered unnecessary to disclose this automaticpaper feeding mechanism in this application. Such mechanism is fullydisclosed in my aforesaid parent application, Serial No. 190,359,wherein the paper feeding and wrapping features are particularlyclaimed.

For the purposes of the present disclosure which has to do more directlywith the cut ting features of the machine I have relied upon manualfeeding of sheets of paper to the slices of material to be wrapped buthave included the folding and wrapping elements since they areordinarily necessary to insure separation of the plunger from the sliceand the slices from each other. The presentation of this divisionalapplication in this way has been undertaken with a view to simplifyingthe disclosure as much as possible without giving up any substantialrights.

In the main, this wrapping mechanism is duplicated, the main parts ofeach mecha-- nism serving to wrap one cake or slice of a' pair and thefollowing description, in the main, will therefore apply to the twosections of this wrapping mechanism whereby two slices or cakes ofmaterial are wrapped at the same time The numeral 86 represents atubular re ceiver which is arranged horizontally and lengthwiseimmediately in rear of the place where the two cakes or slices ofmaterial come to rest when the elevator reaches the upper end of itsstroke and which is adapted to receive these two slices by having thelatter moved rearwardly into the same. This rearward movement of thesetwo slices or cakes of material is effected by means of thelongitudinally and horizontally movable plunger 8. which is mounted onthe front end of a plunger rod 88 which is guided in suitable guidewayson the upper part of the main frame and which is reciprocated in propersynchronism with the other parts of the machine by motion derived fromthe driving shaft 4 The particular mechanism Whereby motion istransmitted from this driving shaft to the plunger rod 88 which is shownin the drawings, comprises an upright rock shaft 89 journaled insuitable bearings on the main frame and provided at its lower end with arock arm 90 which engages with a cam 91 on the driving shaft 42, aspring 92 which holds the rock arm 90 yieldingly in engagement with thecam, an upper rock arm 93 arranged on the upper end of the rock shaft 89and a link 94 connecting the upper rock arm 93 with the plunger rod 88,as best shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. lVhile the section of material isbeing lifted by the elevator 81 and cut into two smaller cakes or slicesthe plunger 87 is retracted rearwardly out of the path of the slices tobe wrapped, as shown in Fig. 10, and after these slices have reachedtheir uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 11, the plunger is movedforwardly and pushes the slices of material from the top of the elevatorinto the receiver 86, as shown in F ig. 12.

Preparatory to moving each cake or slice of material from the upper endof the elevator into the receiver 86 a sheet of paper is fed downwardlyso that the central part 95 of this sheet is arranged opposite the inletof this receiver and the upper and lower ends 96 and 97 of this sheetare arranged above and below the inlet of the receiver, as shown in Fig.10. As each cake or slice of material is pushed from the elevator intothe receiver the flat front side of the slice engages with the centralpart 95 of the sheet of paper and as this cake or slice and the sheet ofpaper are pushed together forwardly into the receiver the upper andlower parts of the sheet immediately adjacent to the central part 95thereofare bent horizontally rea-rwardly against the upper and loweredges of the cake of material by the rear edges 2 28 of the top andbottom of the receiver 86, shown at 98 and 99 in Figs. 0, 12, 13 and14:.

After the slice of material has been thus pushed into the receiver 86and while the plunger 87 is still in engagement with the rear side ofthe slice, a lower folding blade 100 first rises into engagement withthe lower part of the sheet immediately adjacent to the lower rearcorner of the slice and produces a short crimp in the same, and an upperfolding blade 101 descends and engages with the upper part of the sheetimmediately adjacent to the upper rear corner of the slice and also 1produces a short crimp in this part of the sheet, as shown in Fig. 13,thereby serving as retainers whereby the partly wrapped slice ofmaterial is held in the receiver 86 and the plunger 87 is permitted towithdraw rearwardly out of engagement from the rear side of the slice ofmaterial without liability of pulling this slice backwardly with theplung or as would be liable to accur owing to the adhesion which wasproduced between the same while the plunger moved theslices of materialforwardly into the receiver. After the plunger has been thus withdrawnrearwardly away from the rear side of theslice of material, the lowerfolding blade 100 completes its upward movement and bends the lower end97 of the sheet in the form of a flap against the rear side of the sliceof material, as shown in Fig. 1 1, and then the upper folding blade 101also completes its downward movement and bends or folds the upper end 96ofthe sheet downwardly against the rear side of the slice of material,as shown in Fig. 1 1. Thereafter the lower folding blade is moveddownwardly and the upper folding blade 101 is raised out of the path ofthe slice and the plunger as the next slice is moved from the elevatorinto the receiver.

Various means may be employed for obtaining this particular action ofthe folding blades, those shown in the drawings being suitable andcomprising a lower cross-head 102 which carries the lower blade, anupper cross-head 103 which carries the upper folding blade, two uprighttubular shifting rods d connected with opposite ends of the lowercross-head 102 and guided in guide-ways 105 on the main frame, a lowercross-head 106 connected to the lower ends of the tubular rods 10 1,upright guide rods 107 sliding in the tubular rods 10 1 and connected attheir upper ends with the upper cross-head 103, a lower cross-head 108connected with the lower ends of the guide rods 107, and two cams 109,110 formed on a disk 111 which. is secured to the Iiving shaft as andengaging; with the lower cross-l1eads 108 and 106 respectively, as shownin Fig. 1. As the cams 109 and 110 rotate with the driving shaft, thelower and upper folding blades are moved vertically toward and from eachother across the rear or inlet end of too receiver 86 and produce theholding action on the sheet of paper for wrapping the same around aslice or cake of material in the manner which is described.

As each succeeding slice or piece of material is pushed forwardly fromthe elevator into the receiver and wrapped in a sheet of paper the sameengages with the previously wrapped slice of material and pushes thelatter forwardly upon a delivery table 112 on which the several wrappedslices of material accumulate in a row preparatory to being removed anddispensed to the trade or placed in a refrigerator or other containerready for distribution. 1

It will be understood that a sheet of paper is presented for each sliceof material. These are positioned before the plunger as indicated inFig. 10. As there shown the center 95 of each sheet lies in line withthe center of the slice, or approximately so, and the upper and lowerparts 96 and 97 overlie the blades 100 and 101.

When thus positioned by hand, the sheet in each instance is preferablyheld from falling down and doubling up into a more or less irregularcondition, which might interfere with the proper wrapping of the sliceby means which retain the upper part of the sheet of paper in its properposition relative to the folding mechanism until it is engaged by thefront side of the slice of material which is to be wrapped and under thecontrol of the folding mechanism.

Preferred means for this purpose comprise a detent device consisting ofa plurality of detent fingers 169 of spring metal, the lower ends ofwhich are adapted to move forwardly and backwardly toward the rear sideof the upper folding blade 101 for the purpose of clamping the upperpart of the sheet of paper against the same, or releasing it, ahorizontal rock shaft 17 0 carrying the upper ends of the detent fingers169 and journaled in suitable bearings 171 on the main frame above theplunger 87, a retracting arm 172 projecting downwardly from the rockshaft 170 and adapted to engage the rear side of the plunger 87, and aspring 17 3 interposed between the upper rear side-0f the retracting arm17 2 and the adj acent part of the main frame, and operating to move thearm 172, rock shaft 170 and fingers 169 forwardly toward the upperfolding blade 101. When the plunger 87 is in its retracted position thesame moves the retracting arm 172 backwardly together with the detentfingers 169 so that a clear path is formed between these detent fingersand the upper folding blade 101 through which the cf paper can passfreely.

During the first part of its forward movement, the plunger 87 permitsthe retracting arm 172 to move forwardly from the position shown by fulllines in Fig. 16 to a position shown by dotted lines in the same figure,whereby the gripping fingers 169 are permitted to move forwardly fromthe position shown by full lines in Fig. 16 to a position shown bydotted lines in the same figure in which last mentioned postion thegripping fingers enga e with the rear side of the upper part of thepiece of paper and clasp the same a inst the rear side of the upperfolding b ade 101. When thus engaged by the gripping fingers 169, theperson feeding the sheet may release his hold upon it for the sheet willbe prevented from dropping and assuming a more or less crumpled positionat this time, inasmuch as it is secure y clamped adjacent to its u perend against the upper folding blade 181. The upper part of the sheet ishowever easily withdrawn from between the detent fingers 169 and theupper folding blade 101 as the central part of the sheet is engaged bthe front side of the slice of material, w 'ch latter is pushedforwardly during the continued forward movement of the plunger 87 afterthe latter has permitted the detent fingers 169 to engage the upperfolding blade. During the downward movement of the upper folding blade101 for effecting the preliminary crease in the upper flap of the sheet,as shown in Fig. 13, the upper blade simply slides in contact with thedetent fingers 169 and also rises into its elevated position for theurpose of clearing the rear or inlet end of t e receiver 86 without anyobjectionable effect.

During the backward or return movement of the plunger 87 the same againengages the lower end of the retreating arm 172 and moves the detentfingers 169 rearwardly out of the ath of the pa er.

It will be ap arent fi'om the foregoing description that y the use ofthis machine a large quantity of material which is usually manufacturedin blocks or slabs such as icecream can be out up and wrappedeconomically and expeditiously with no waste of materials, therebyenabling goods of this character to be marketed at comparatively lowcost and also in the most sanitary manner.

I claim as my invention: 7

1. A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adaptedto support a block of material, cutting means for severing said blockinto sections, and means for moving said block step by step on saidtable toward said cutting means comprising a follower adapted to engagethe rear side of said block, longitudinally reciprocating feed barprovided on different parts of its periphery with longitudinal rows ofdifferently spaced teeth, a pawl movably mounted on said follower andadapted to engage the teeth in any one of said rows, a longitudinalguide for said follower, a rock lever, a link connecting said lever andsaid bar, a cam engaging said lever and operating to move the feed be rforwardly to the same point, a spring connected with said lever andadapted to move the feed bar backwardly, a sleeve capable of turningwith said bar but held against longitudinal move ment therewith, a stopmounted on said bar and movable lengthwise therewith, and a plurality ofdifferent y spaced stops arranged in an annular row on said sleeve aboutthe axis thereof and each adapted to be engaged by the stop on said barfor arresting the backward movement of the same at a different point.

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adaptedto support a block of material; means for moving said block forwardlyintermittently; cutting means for severing sections successively fromthe front end of said block, said cutting means comprising two cutterblades movable toward and from each other at the front end of the pathof said block, two rock levers carrying said blades, a link connectingsaid rock levers, and a cam operatively engaging one of said levers; andshifting means for moving said sections to a position at one side ofsaid block, said shifting means comprising an elevator adapted to engagethe under side of each' section and force it upward over the surface ofsaid blades and out of contact therewith to said offset position, and acam for actuating said elevator.

A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adapted tosupport a block of material; means for moving said block forwardlyintermittently; cutting means for severing sections from the front endof said block. said cutting means comprising two cutter bladcs movabletoward and from each other at the front end of the path of said block,two rock levers carrying said blades, a link connecting said rocklevers, and a cam operatively engaging one of said levers; shiftingmeans for moving said sections to a position at one side of said block,said shifting means comprising an elevator adapted to engage theunderside of each section and force it upward over the surfaces of saidblades and out of contact therewith to said position, and a cam foractuating said elevator; and a divider just upward of the upper edge ofa freshly severed section against which said section is moved by saidelevator and whereby said section is divided.

4. A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adaptedto support a block of material; means for moving said block forwardlyalong said table intern ittently; cutting means for severing sectionsfrom the front end of said block, said cutting means comprising twocutter blades movable from an outer open position toward each other toan inner closed position to sever a section at the front end of theblock; an elevator justforward of the plane of said blades adapted toengage the under side of each sec tion to push the same over and out ofcontact with and to a position above said blades: a divider just abovethe upper edge of a severed section against which said sec=v pressed bysaid elevator as the latter moves upward whereby said section isdivided; and a receiving table about on a level with said divider towhich the severed se'tions may be transferred.

5. A machine of the cla s described, comprising a horizontal feed tableadapted to support a block of material, means for feedingsaid blockforwardly along said tab intermi tently, cutting means for sever?sections from the front end of said block, said cutting means comprisingtwo cutter blades movable toward and from each other in a vertical planeat the end of the path of said bloclr, vertically movable means movableover the faces of said blades in a singleplane to move each severedsection over and out ofengagement with said biases to a position higherthan block. hr zontally movable means above said block for engaging therear of a section after it he, been shifted to said elevated position bwhile it is still in engagement with vertically movable means, tohorisont advance said section in the direction of f d clear of saidvertically movable means, and a receiver for receiving and supportingsections thus advanced from said laterally movable means.

6. A machine of the class described, comprising a horizontal feed tableadapted to support a block of material, means for feeding said blockforwardly along said table intermittently, cutting means for severingsections from the front end of said block, said cutting means comprisingtwo cutting blades movable toward and from each other in a transversevertical plane at the front end of the path of said block, means formoving said sections vertically over and out of engagement with saidblades to a position higher than said block, a horizontally movableplunger for engaging a section in said posi' tion while still inengagement with said vertically moving means to advance the sectionstill further to a position forward of and out of engagement with saidvertically moving means, and a delivery table forward of said plungerupon which said sections are advanced by said plunger.

7. A machine of the character described, comprising a table adapted tosupport a block of material; means for moving said block forwardly alongsaid table intermittently; cutting means for severing sections succesisively from the front end of said block, said cutting means comprisingtwo outer blades movable toward and from each other at the front end ofthe path of said block; an elevator just forward of the plane of saidknives adapted to engage the under side of each section to raise thesame to a position above said blades and out of contact therewith; aplunger movable in a path parallel to and above that of said block andoperative to engage the side of an elevated section to advance out ofengagement with the raised elevator; and a receiving table upon whichsaid sections are pushed by said plunger.

8. A machine of the character described, comprising a feedtable adaptedto support a block of material; means for moving said block forwardlyalong sait. table intermittently; cutting means for severing sectionsfrom the front end of said block, said cutting means comprising twoouter cutter blades movable from an outer open position toward eachother to an inner closed position to sever a section at the front end ofthe block; an elevator just forward of the plane of said blades adaptedto engage the under side of each section to raise the same out ofcontact i and above said blades; a divider 'ju upward of a freshlysevered section which said section is pressed by said 6$VL IOT andthereby divided when de- 1 to its elevated position; a plunger livereo.movable in. a path parallel to and above that of said block andoperative to engage the rear sides of the divided parts of an elevatedsection to advance them out of engagement with the raised elevator; anda receiving table upon which said sections are delivered by saidplunger.

9. A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adaptedto support a block of material, cutting means for seven said block intosections, said cutting means including cutting blades entering saidblock at the sides and moving together to sever the section, feedingmeans for intermittently moving said block toward said cutting means,shifting means for moving the severed. sections successively to one sideof said lock, a plunger for engaging the rear of a severed section thusshifted to advance the same, a receiving table for carrying the sectionsadvanced by said plunger, and means for actuating said. plungercomprising a slide rod supporting said plunger, an upper rock armconnected with said slide rod, a rock shaft carrying said upper arm, alower rock arm mounted on said shaft, a cam engaging said lower rock armand adapted to move said plunger forwardly, and a spring for moving saidplunger backwardly.

10. A machine of the character described, comprising means forlongitudinally advancing a block of material, a pair of oscillatingblades for cutting sections from the frontend of the block, the cuttingtaking place when said blades move toward each other, and a fixeddividing knife at the upper end of the meeting line of said blades,means for oscillating said blades, means for forcing a severed sectionupward along said blades after they have severed the section and Whilethey are together, whereby the severed section is elevated and dividedwhile being elevated, and a receiver in alignment with said dividedsevered sections.

.11. A machine of the character described, comprising a feed tableadapted to support a block of material, cutting means for severing saidblock into sections, and means for moving said block on said tabletoward said cutting means, comprising a follower adapted to engage therear side of said block, alongitudinally reciprocatin feed bar providedwith a longitudinal row of teeth, a coupling pawl mounted on saidfollower and adapted to be engaged by said teeth, means for moving thefeed bar forward to the same point at each Smoke, a stop support at therear end of said feed bar, stop pins of dillcrent lengths on saidsupport, said support being freely movable in a plane transverse to theaxis of said bar tfl bring said pins individually to a bar limitingposition, and yielding means for bringing said bar up against theparticular stop pin in said bar limiting position, whereby variablestrokes are given said bar in exactaccord with the setting of saidsupport and HS. 12. A machine of the character described, oom risingafeed table adapted to support a bloc of material, cutting means forsevering said block into sections, and means for moving said block onsaid table toward said cutting means, comprising a follower adapted toengage the rear of said block, a longitudinally reciprocating feed barprovided with a wality of longitudinal rows of teeth on diferentcircumferential parts thereof, means for turning said bar for engagingany one of its rows of teeth with said coupling pawl, a plurality ofdifferently spaced stops at the rear end of said feed bar adapted toarrest the backward movement of said feed bar at different points, powerdriven mechanism for advancing said feed bar to its extreme forwardposition, a spring cooperating with said mechanism to return said feedbar against the particular one of said stops set at the time in linetherewith, and means for shifting said stops laterally so as to bringthem individually and successively into bar arresting position. 7

13. A machine of the character described, comprising afeed table adaptedto support a block of material; means for moving said block forwardlyintermittently; cutting means for severing sections successively fromthe front endof said block, said cutting means comprising two cutterblades movable toward and from each other at the front Uidofthe path ofsaid block, two rock levers carrying said blades, mechanism foractuating said rock levers and cutter blades toward and from each otheras stated, an elevator for raising said sections to a position abovesaid block, said elevator engaging the under side of each section andforcing it upward over the surface of said blades and out of contacttherewith to a raised position above said look, a plunger for engagingthe side of an elevated section and forcing it laterally over thesurface of said elevator and out of contact therewith, and means forreceiving the section thus delivered.

1 A machine of the character described, comprising a feed table adaptedto support a block of naterial; means for moving said block forwardlyintermittently; cutting means for severing sections from the front endof said block, said cutting means comprising two cutter blades movabletoward and from each other at the front end of the path of said block,two rock levers carrying said blades, mechanism for moving said bladestoward and from each other as stated; shifting means for moving saidsections to a position to one side of said block, said shifting meanscomprising an elevator adapted to engage the under side of each sectionand force it upward over the surface of said blades and out of contacttherewith to said position; and mechanism for operating said elevator.

In witness whereof, I have afliXed my sig nature this 18th day ofFebruary, 1928.

EDlVARD G. HEGG.

